The history of this famous pottery house began in 1759, when its founder, Josiah Wedgwood I, aged just 29, started out as an independent potter in Burslem, England. His avant-garde spirit, energetic design policy and commitment to exacting standards of quality are values that remain at the heart of the pieces made today.
Many of the techniques pioneered by Josiah Wedgwood are still used today by craftsmen in Barlaston, England. Since 1940, the factory has combined modern technology with the ancient techniques of casting, shaping and decorating. Using unique materials, Jasper, luminescent Queen’s Ware and fine porcelain, Wedgwood continues the tradition of beautiful handmade works of art, with respect for the past and an eye to the future.
The following documentary, filmed by British Pathé in 1958, shows different shaping processes as well as the work that the craftsmen carried out in the Wedgwood factory on a daily basis: artists at their drawing tables, potters working the wheel, ornamenters fixing the different parts to the ceramic pieces… This is a unique historical document that allows us to get a close-up view of the work of this legendary, world-renowned ceramics house.
